Ao dai and saree, the two traditional costumes of Vietnam and India, honor the long-standing beauty of women of the two countries, and can be considered the apparel of the future, according to Smita Pant, Indian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City.

“Indian saree and Vietnamese ao dai are not just simple attire, they are culture,” Consul General Pant told Tuoi Tre News on the sidelines of an ao dai-saree fashion show in the city on Friday.

“They are extremely unique because they have their own identity. The saree, for example, has been in existence for 3,000-5,000 years and has never gone out of fashion,” she said.

“Moreover, the costume, and similarly ao dai, could look extremely ethnic and at the same time could have a very modern look depending on how you wrap it,” she said.

“They both convey culture, beauty and unique identity. They are beautiful and elegant. Therefore, these two costumes together are pure elegance and style,” the diplomat added.

The fashion event, jointly held by the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City and the Ao Dai Museum, showcased an ao daicollection by Vietnamese fashion designer Le Sy Hoang along with modern Indian sarees. 

“This is the curtain raiser event for the main one to be held in December 2015 and we did this fashion show because it is close to the Vietnamese Women’s Day, to be celebrated on October 20,” Consul General Pant told Tuoi Tre News.

“I also want to inform that very recently we have constituted an informal Indian Women Association. We look forward to interacting with Vietnamese women in such areas relating to culture as fashion, dance, music and people to people links,” she added.

Asked why the Indian diplomat chose Le Sy Hoang's collection to showcase along with Indian sarees, Consul General Pant said she really loved his ao dai collections when visiting the Ao Dai Museum recently.

So in Pant’s following meeting with the designer, she realized it would be a wonderful idea to display a fusion of Indian sarees and Vietnamese ao dai, which could celebrate elegance and beauty.

“We have our own ao dai, which is very close to Vietnamese ao dai, and we also want to showcase how Indian fabrics can be used to tailor Vietnamese ao dai,” she said.

“Today India is being reckoned as an emerging force in the fashion industry. Our companies are launching their own fashion brands and our fashion institutes have the reputation of producing eminent designers,” she added.